Tuesday, March 26, 2013

With a Monday weather-related finale at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods has once again become the number-one golfer in the world. Fans are joyful but players...not so much unless, of course, you're Rory McIlroy.

NBC Final Round notes from Bay Hill included a compelling quote from the cantankerous Johnny Miller about a possible improvement in Rory McIlroy's game after Woods' victory, "Maybe that will actually help Rory McIlroy by taking the heat off him being number one and set him free again."

So, although Tiger Woods may now be scaring the field once again, he might actually be putting McIlroy's mind at ease, allowing young Rory to sharpen his game and his new Nike VR golf clubs, from VR-S Covert driver to VR Pro Blade Irons.

McIlroy skipped Bay Hill this week, choosing a casual round at a local muni to butting heads with Woods. Perhaps Rory prefers building his confidence instead by playing the "lesser of two evils", Phil Mickelson, at the Shell Houston Open this week?

Although a fifth Masters is not assured for Tiger, Joe LaCava, Woods' caddie, says there is definitely "more confidence" in his short game and putting. Graeme McDowell seems to have put the entire Woods-McIlroy battle in perspective. “Rory’s been No 1 for a while and having this kind of challenge will definitely gear him up. When you’ve achieved many of your goals, your motivations disappear and this will help him refocus.”
Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Golf Galaxy has teamed up with Nike to bring golfers across the country the
Nike Covert Distance Challenge.

Every weekend (Friday through Sunday) in
March, Nike gurus
will be in-store to deliver club fittings. Golfers of all levels are
invited to bring in their existing driver to test against the new Nike VR_S Covert Tour.

Just by participating in a fitting, the golfer will be
given a free sleeve of Nike 20XI golf balls.
If the golfers make a Nike VR_S Covert purchase, they’ll receive a demo
trial pack of 20XI, 20XI-X balls and RZN X balls (1 dozen total).

As I am not located near a Golf Galaxy, I, unfortunately, cannot take advantage of theNike Covert Distance Challenge but I would love for you to post your thoughts and experiences about the new Covert and about Nike in general in our comments section below.

If
you haven’t already tried the VR_S Covert, now is the best chance to
try a driver that offers FlexLoft adjustability and unique high-speed
cavity back technology—all
backed by the one-on-one support of a Nike fitting guru.

Here is your chance to test the Covert at
any Golf Galaxy location and take advantage of the expertise and, of
course, the freebies.

Friday, March 15, 2013

With The Masters on the radar of sports and fashion enthusiasts worldwide, I received a note filled with "fashion picks" from Function 18, a UK-based golf apparel website which promises the same cutting edge look and performance as the professionals on Tour. That being said, here are Function 18's selection of who will be the most chic Masters golf apparel trendsetters.

***************

With excitement now building for April’s Masters Tournament, we are
taking a look at some of the most stylish players taking part in this year’s
event with golf fashion experts “Function 18”.We’ve
weighed up their golf swings and statistics, but which of this year’s players will
win in the Masters Style stakes?

Ryo IshikawaWatch out for Japan’s Ryo Ishikawaat this year’s event, known for his bold and stylish outfit
choices whilst gracing the greens. Although his style may not be everyone’s cup
of tea, it’s a breath of fresh air to see this young player experimenting with
colours and prints - we’re big fans of his signature red and white ensemble.

Bubba Watson
We are keen followers of Bubba Watson's exciting and aggressive style of play!
At this year's Masters, having signed a new clothing contract with Oakley, we
will see him with a variety of new looks to suit his playing style. Function 18 stocks a wide range of Oakley clothing, including a range of items Bubba himself has
been spotted in, including this great Oakley Fade Polo shirtfrom
only £32.99.

Jason Day
The stylish young Australian is definitely a key player to watch in this year’s
tournament; in fact it will be pretty hard to miss Jason Day on the Augusta
fairways. Contracted to wear the bold and bright Adidas Fashion Performance collection, we’re
looking forward to seeing him wear some of the key pieces from the brand’s new
spring / summer collection.

Ian PoulterIan Poulter’s attitude to fashion
is always fun and playful. He continues to wear his own IJP Design collection
which focuses heavily on the tartan trousers, but his recent Puma shoe and belt
deal has seen him showcase some of Puma’s bright, eye catching products. Past
style choices have seen him team bright yellow puma golf shoes with green check
trousers; we certainly have to commend him on his confidence!Function 18 has a great range of Puma and
IJP Design
products available if you want to
try and re-create Ian Poulter’s eye catching look. And, be sure to check out his limited edition Masters Putter Cover.

Tiger Woods
Never one to disappoint in the Majors, Woods' look is always clean cut, fresh
and modern. With young Rory McIlroy snapping at his heels, Tiger still remains a
great style ambassador for Nike and his signature plain polo shirts and
traditional neutral golf pants are an easy look for spectators to try
themselves. Look out for red on the last day!

Rory McIlroy
Originally not one to stand out for his golf fashion, it will be interesting
to see if McIlroy's new £120 million Nike sponsorship deal will give him a
boost in the golfing style stakes. The Nike clubs don’t seem to be helping his
game much but we have already seen him in some exciting brown/green colour
combinations and we can’t wait to see more. (editor's note...with Rory McIlroy's game being compared to Tiger's at every tournament, now we can compare clothing too!)

The team at Function 18 are looking forward to the Big Masters Event in April and will
be spotting the latest golf fashion trends to hit the greens in 2013. View all
the latest spring / summer golf clothing for 2013 now online at function18.com.

About Function 18

Function 18 are a specialist golf apparel website offering
affordable, niche garments that will set you apart from the rest, both on and
off the golf course.

Function 18 has over 10 years of experience buying
designer golf clothing for our UK wide network of golfers. We are able to bring
to you a collection of both golf and high street brands and promise you the
cutting edge look and performance that the fashion conscious player demands.

Thursday, March 07, 2013

This week both the WGC Cadillac Championships and The Puerto Rico Open are being hosted by the one and only resilient Donald Trump at two of his incredible golf courses: “The Blue Monster” at Doral and Trump International.

It is truly difficult, it seems, not to watch news of Donald Trump everywhere you look nowadays...

A Google Search finds him as popular a sight in the WWE
(where he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame) to his recurring (and
prolonged repetitive) show, The Apprentice.

This week, Trump does
double-duty at two golf extravaganzas and, with it, invites almost all
golfers with a tour card to “be his guest.” Okay, neither Doral nor Trump International are Disney-land but, to fans, they might as well be!

Two full field events with the top golfers in the world providing
ample opportunities for birdies and bogeys,but (in my opinion) with the WGC Cadillac
Championship getting the viewing edge as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy go head-to-head once again.

Also, with news of The Donald’s plans to “blow-up” The Blue Monster
in order to make it a “much more magnificent course” as Mr.Trump stated,
will fans want to get in one last look for comparison’s sake?

Tale of the Tape: Trump International vs Doral Golf Resort’s Blue Monster via Twitter:
Current Posts about this week’s events at both Trump International
Tweets and Doral Golf Resort’s Blue Monster show many more conversations
about WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral than Tweets about Puerto Rico
Open. Here is a sample:

Friday, March 01, 2013

Is the art of Match Play lost on golfers in the U.S. or do we simply prefer every stroke to count?

In a recent GolfWeek article, Brits such as Ian Poulter prefer "the oldest form of golf" to stroke play because it boils down to "just me against the other guy rather than the rest of the field." Bubba Watson, on the other hand, believes that "it should be everybody gets up there and tries to shoot a score."

Even Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, after their first round departure from the WGC Accenture Match Play Championships, decided to "settle the score" in a match play format although the two games ended all square.

Amateurs should probably take a tip from Poulter, McIlroy and other golfers from across the pond and rotate a game of match play into their weekly foursomes. Where it is probable, at the end of a four-day professional tournament, that stroke play will ulitmately lead to the "best" player and score, the game is not necessarily all about score for amateurs. As Henrik Stenson said about match-play format, "It's very clear what you need to do...You just have to play better than your opponent."

Here are a few reasons to opt for a game of match-play golf instead of stroke play the next time you are out with your golf buddies:

1. There is a different psychological approach to Match-Play:

* Less stressful throughout the game (until the end if you're dormie, for example).

* Seeing your score on the card in stroke format may cause you to count strokes instead of focusing on your shot.

2. Easier to score without having a scorecard.

3. Head-to-head competition versus playing for par.

4. A playing opponent can legitimately concede your putt.

5. Focuses your attention to the adventure of a single hole when standing on the tee box. Each hole becomes its own mini-game.

6. You can make match play more fun by adding a wager per hole (skins game).

Try Match-Play the next time you go out with your friends and leave Old Man Par in the Clubhouse!

As a postscript, in my opinion it is a shame that as of this article, the Sybase Match Play Championship will no longer be an event on the LPGA Tour.

Golf Links

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